Firefly Crossovers
by Batguy
Summary: A series of stories with Firefly crossovers, which do tie together. Light on story, heavy on action! First up: Serenity's crew encounter THE TERMINATOR! More to come...


_**FIREFLY: TERMINATION**_

"The Alliance hunted us to the gorram ends o' the 'Verse. They killed innocents to get at us. But we showed 'em. We showed 'em that we ain't takin' their ruttin' crap, that we wouldn't run no more- that we'd stand up for what's… what's right. So they sent their brainwashed little servant after us, and we showed 'em again. Now they've had enough. I thought, now the secret's out, that they'd give it up," Malcolm Reynolds looked around at the crew of _Serenity_, "So I was wrong. But we ain't humped yet, and that means we keep flyin', and we keep fightin'. Long as we got air in our lungs and fuel in our tanks, we don't give up. They can throw their Operatives, their allies, their Feds after us, but we can throw what we got back. This is it: this is our final haven. You can get off here, or you can keep flyin'. I'd trust any o' you with my life after what we've been through… now's the time to decide if you'd trust me with yours. It's up to you now."

The crew looked at each other, waiting for _someone_ to speak. Finally, Jayne Cobb said:

"I ain't leavin', long as the pay's good. Ain't no government gonna scare me outta doin' a dishonourable day's work."

The others nodded, together.

"Zoe?" Mal looked to his first mate, the ever reliable Zoe Washburn, "You sure you wanna be stayin' after what happened to Wash?"

"Just gives me more reason to stick it to the Alliance," Zoe grinned, "I'm not leavin', sir."

The others made noises of consent.

"Simon, River? You sure yer stayin'? Thought you wanted to be off _asap_," Mal looked at the Tam siblings.

"You even _dare_ consider…" Kaylee Frye, the ship's engineer, draped her left arm over Simon's shoulders.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Simon smiled at Kaylee, "Not after last night."

"You two keep that in the bedroom," Reynolds sighed, "Then we're all together? To the gorram end?"

"To the end." The crew nodded.

"Well, we need some cash 'fore we call this a day," Mal grunted, "Runnin' like this now means we gotta take what jobs we can. I say we take on passengers."

"Mal, you serious?" It was Jayne, always the one to state what no one else dared say, "You know what happened last time we got dumped with _tourists_? I was OK with Book, but…"

Simon actually laughed, which made Cobb look even more awkward.

"So, last time we picked up an Alliance spy- this time we're more careful," Mal snapped, "OK? We're not losing our _rutting_ chance at some pay because you're scared of another Dobson. Shiny, Jayne?"

"No, it gorram well ain't!" Jayne snapped back, "Be realistic, Mal, don't be a ruttin' _sah gha_! I thought ya had some sense when I joined up with this crew- thought you were learnin' some just now."

"You can get off this boat if you don't like it, but I think you're in no place to talk about gettin' stupid for money, right, Jayne?" Mal barked.

Jayne fell silent- he knew what his captain referred to, and knew that it would be futile to argue.

"Kaylee, you know what to do," Malcolm ordered, "Simon, take the kid, go get some fuel for this baby. Zoe, Jayne… we gotta go and meet a man about a job."

Zoe and Jayne followed Mal away from the ship, into the hustle and bustle of Persephone's Eavesdown Docks. They walked on, until they reached a small hovel of a building, where the 'middle man' Badger sat, playing cards with a stranger, a tall, thin man with greasy, matted greying black hair.

"Malcolm Reynolds," Badger grinned, "Ha. Long time no see, eh, Mal?"

"Not nearly long enough," Mal replied with a roguish smirk, "What's the job, Badger?"

"You ever 'eard o' a fella called Niska, Mal?" asked Badger, "Sure ya have. Ran into 'im a few times, 'aven't ya?"

"He and I are hardly on the best o' terms, Badge," Mal reminded the slimy criminal, "What about him?"

"Well, see, Mal… ol' _Comrade Niska_ owes me a bit o' dosh," Badger grinned widely, "Sixteen million, at that, stolen from me."

"_Stolen?_ Honesty's the best policy," Mal reminded Badger.

"OK, so I sent my boys on a job- some lads from a real fine ship, _The Ark_, to go an' rob a gorram bank vault on Samara. They didn't come back, and next I know, Adelei Niska's sixteen mill richer, and I'm ruttin' well on his hit list. As ya might guess, Malcolm, not the best o' situations."

"You want us to rob Niska? Not a chance. The man'll have me dead in five minutes."

"Ah, but he won't, see? I've 'eard word o' how your crew dealt with old Adelei. Mal. Seems like you know 'im better than any. I want you to go and make sure 'e stays dead, Mal. Got it?"

"How much?"

"Quarter o' the money. Four mill."

"Make it eight."

"No gorram chance, Mal. Look, six million an' I'll make sure I don't let slip to that fella pokin' around that yer 'ere."

"What fella?"

"You ain't heard? Some big bloke, wears leather like he's from the gorram past, 'as been askin' after you. Wore shades. Funny accent. Told 'im I ain't 'eard from you in months."

"Done," Mal nodded and shared a worried look with Zoe, "Where's Niska?"

"Space station, orbitin' Hera."

"Hera?" Mal froze when he heard the name, "Serenity Valley…"

"Aw, get over it, Mal. It's been a gorram decade," Badger spat, "Now piss off. I don't want that fella catchin' us 'ere, and blamin' me for 'covering' for ya."

Mal nodded, and the trio walked out, headed for Serenity. On the way back, they met Simon and River, who had the fuel.

"Hey," Mal greeted them.

"Hi," Simon smiled slightly, "You OK?"

"Not at all. We need to get outta here," Mal led them aboard Serenity, and Kaylee followed, "We got any passenger, Kaylee?"

"Just the one, cap'n. Big guy…" Kaylee began.

"Save it. Shove him in his quarters and leave him there. We got work to do," Mal snapped. He wasn't sure where his annoyance and worry came from- _surely he was past Serenity Valley by now? _"River…"

"Yeah," the young pilot hurried forward.

"Get the ship moving. Set course for…"

"Hera."

"Well, just…"

"In orbit. Got it."

River sped off.

"Ruttin' reader," Mal grinned, "Damn."

They felt Serenity lift up and leave the surface of Persephone, and turned to the crew.

"Simon, Kaylee… go check on our guest. Jayne, Zoe… let's get to work," Mal led his two fellow fighters towards the dining area. Suddenly, the ship shook.

"Son of a…" Mal yelled, as he was thrown onto the ground. Simon appeared on the staircase:

"Mal! The passenger's gone!"

"He's got River," Mal yelled, sprinting towards the cabin, followed by Zoe, Kaylee, Jayne and Simon. They reached the door to the cabin. It was locked tight.

"This asshole likes some o' Saffron's old tricks," Jayne commented, "We force the door, it blows on us. Blast wire. They're high tech, these things. Rare. Probably Alliance."

"_Alliance?"_ Mal muttered sharply, "Kaylee, describe the passenger."

"Well, cap'n, he was tall, strong, had a kinda funny accent. Wore some weird black stuff- leather, I guess, but ain't that illegal now?"

"Yeah," Mal grimaced, "It's the guy who went to Badger… that son of a bitch stitched us up. There's no mission. He was just scaring us, buying time for the passenger to _vanish_ aboard. We have to get in there… ideas?"

"We could stand back and blast the door," suggested Jayne.

"Son of a… no we can't!" Simon yelled, "He could have River propped against the door!"

"We need to find our course," Mal said quickly, "Then plan. How do we find…? Kaylee?"

"I know where we're headed," Simon said suddenly.

"How…?"

"Look! Out of the window!"

Mal stared out at the looming planet of Hera.

"Gorram it!" he yelled, striking the wall with all his might. He recoiled, hand throbbing, "Kaylee, get us in there. Zoe, Jayne, we're gonna need some hardcore ammo- if this guy took down River, we gotta be prepared."

"Yes, sir," Zoe actually saluted.

"Well, what's the doc gonna do?" Jayne snapped.

"He's gonna get to the other shuttle," Mal said coldly.

"You letting that pussy run out on us!?" Cobb bellowed.

"No," Mal spat, "He's getting a message through to Inara. She can't afford to take a shuttle back here, if we're all headed to our doom. She's still on Whitefall, and if we warn her in time, she'll stay there."

"On it," Simon nodded and took off. The captain watched him go, almost smiling- the kid had come a long way aboard _Serenity_.

"Jayne, c'mon… let's get Vera and friends," Malcolm grimaced.

Inara Serra was one of the favoured Companions across the 'Verse- rumours and what could most easily described as _myths_ claimed she had serviced six, eight or even ten _hundred_ men. The truth was closer to _one_ hundred, but nothing to be ashamed of, though it wasn't _quite_ record-breaking, if there were such among the peaceful, serene (and not-so-serene) members of the Guild.

Currently, Inara was sitting on one side of a table, facing a tall, muscular man with short, scruffy hair and a lopsided grin. On the table, a stick of incense burned. Suddenly, Inara's automated messenger bleeped. She looked down at it. The screen read:

"_One message received. From: Serenity."_

Inara opened the file and stared:

"_Get back. Urgent. Need you ASAP. Meet on Hera- the shuttle should be able to get you there."_

Inara scowled, but she looked up at her client, Raymond Prime, and said quickly:

"I have to go."

Malcolm, Jayne and Zoe looked through their weapons cache, and Mal occasionally picked up a gun, aimed it, pressed the trigger and laid it aside. Jayne was already hefting a great automatic rifle- a Callahan full-boar auto-lock, with a customized trigger and double-cartridge-through-gauge, which he had dubbed _Vera_. He also had two semi-auto handguns strapped to his belt, which were known as _Judy_ and _Jess._ Zoe grabbed a hefty minigun, and whirled it dramatically.

"That's untested," Mal reminded her, "Could be risky."

"And now ain't the time for risks, sir?" Zoe retorted coldly.

"Once again, ya got me there," Mal smirked, and then he holstered two of his favoured revolvers, before seizing two large shotguns, "Grab a handheld just in case, and let's get this son of a bitch off of _my_ boat."

Mal snatched up a short sword of some kind and slipped it into his belt- _always be prepared._ Jayne and Zoe both went for pouches of throwing knives- always useful for melee combat and ranged fighting.

"Go, go, go!" Mal yelled, and led the duo towards the cabin again, while Kaylee sat at a control terminal in the engine room, typing fast. Simon entered.

"Hey," he greeted her, "There's something up with the messaging terminal- can't get one out to Inara. I think the attacker locked it down. You had any luck?"

"Luck?" Kaylee smiled up at him, "Baby, I just diffused that ruttin' bomb. Call the cap'n."

Simon sprinted out, with a yell of:

"On it, right after…"

_Right after what?_

Kaylee found out two minutes later, when she stuck her head out of the engine room, to find Simon leading Mal, Jayne and Zoe- clutching two handguns himself.

"Simon!" Kaylee yelped, "Let 'em go first! You nuts?"

"No, Kaylee," Simon turned, and Malcolm passed him, "That asshole in there's got River. He's got my gorram sister, Kaylee!"

"Well…" Kaylee paused, and Simon thought she would cry for a moment, "Give me a gun, dammit!"

"No."

"Give me a ruttin' gun… I've used 'em as much as you have!"

"But…"

"GIVE ME A GUN!"

Simon reluctantly handed one over, and they followed. The door to the cabin slid open, and a tall figure stood there. He was huge, with short brown hair, thick sunglasses, and he wore full leathers. He held out a single handgun at the five.

"Reynolds." He spoke with some kind of accent.

"River!" Simon yelled, seeing his sister slumped upon the floor beside the controls. He ran at the ship's attacker, firing his guns. Bullets struck the enemy in the shoulder, and he jerked back.

"Kid, look out!" Mal cried, but he was too late. Simon was backhanded into the console and slumped beside his sister. Kaylee screamed. Jayne cursed under his breath. Zoe stood stony, silent.

"You son of a bitch," Mal whispered, "You're getting off this 'ere, ship… and I don't give a _fuck_ what kinda body armour you got. Blow him away."

Gunfire ripped across the cabin. Mal felt a fist of something more than flesh, blood and bone knock him flying into a wall. Jayne crumpled with a bullet in his upper leg. Zoe managed to blast her enemy back… back… gun raging.

"Stay down, mother fucker." It was unlike Zoe Washburn to lose her cool, and she certainly had done so. It was like when she had lost Wash, yet so different, "Stay the fuck down."

A mangled arm, the flesh shot to shreds, reached up feebly. Zoe gasped. Through the mangled skin and flesh was a metallic skeleton of some kind. The figure rose. His blasted face displayed a skull of some metal.

"Surprised?" The _cyborg_ seemed to be smiling, but it could not, with such a mangled face, "You're humped, Reynolds. I was only sent for River Tam, but you are all secondary targets- Alliance fugitives. And now you all are mine. Dead or alive."

"Run!" Mal screamed, throwing himself to his feet, "Get the wounded, and get outta here! I'll hold this nut off!"

"No way!" Zoe darted in and rammed her minigun against the attacker, "Get back, sir."

"What the hell is this guy?" Malcolm commented as he dodged away.

"Terminator 1000," the machine-man replied, and Zoe fired the minigun, blasting the synthesized skin away to reveal the awful metal skin.

"Grenades, Jayne," Mal barked, as he half-carried, half-dragged River's body back, and Zoe blasted the _Terminator_ back.

"The bullets bounce off its ruttin' skeleton!" she shouted, "Hurry the hell up! We can seal it in here!"

They sped out, Mal pulling River, Simon taking Jayne. As Zoe backed towards the door and Kaylee prepared to close the cabin, Jayne yelled:

"We need to shut down the controls!"

He ripped two grenades from his belt.

"Zoe, move yer ass!" Cobb screeched, and he threw the explosives. Zoe made to escape, but a metallic arm reached out and struck her across the head. She was blasted through the wall, and down… out…

"She's gone!" Mal screamed, "NO!"

He aimed his gun at the Terminator. Kaylee was unsure of whether or not to seal the room. Simon dived in and hit the switch. The door squeezed shut, as the Terminator jumped…

"Zoe," Malcolm croaked, lying on his back, "She's gone."

"Dammit!" Jayne struck the wall, "She shoulda moved, Mal… gorram it!"

"Least that _machine's_ shut in there, maybe even blown apart," Simon commented… as a smoking metal arm broke through the door and the door was ripped free of the wall and cast right at Jayne, who toppled down, pinned to the ground.

The Terminator, now divest of any flesh, held Zoe's minigun. He aimed at Simon, who was hunched over River.

"You're all dead," he stated mechanically, "Simon Tam, you are to be terminated."

"No!" Kaylee fired her gun, and the bullet knocked the Terminator aside. She leapt onto its back like it were a climbing frame and rammed her gun against its head, firing again and again.

"Mal, we're goin' down!" Jayne stared at the viewscreen in the cabin. They were plunging towards Hera's surface, and turbulence drew them towards the hole in the hull.

"Use all your fire!" Mal bellowed, "Shoot it outta that hole!"

The crew did just that. As Kaylee was hurled aside by the Terminator, Jayne opened fire. The Terminator was soon clutching consoles to keep him from the hole. Then, the captain was firing, roaring.

"This is for Zoe, asshole!"

But the robot could not be budged.

"Grenades?" Mal looked at Jayne.

"Just the one," Cobb held it out to Mal.

"It can't just be thrown. That thing needs forcing down and out… it needs an impact in the head. Then someone can pull it bodily outta here. This is the end for me."

Mal strode past the crew.

"No!" Jayne struck him across the face, "You gotta get 'em landed, Mal… you're cap'n. This is my job. This is for Zoe!"

He snatched the grenade and ran. The Terminator rose, minigun fire ripping into Jayne as the grenade went off, and the two figures plunged…

"Jayne!" Mal cried, and looked down. The Terminator was gone, but Jayne hung, weakly, from the side of the hole.

"Save the others," he moaned, "Did it for y'all, Mal… did it for Zoe an' Wash an' Shepherd Book."

And then Jayne Cobb was gone. It was over.

And that was it. A message came through from Inara explaining she didn't fall for the Terminator's trap, and that she would return to the ship ASAP. They never found Zoe's body, but held a makeshift funeral for her. And the Alliance were not pleased with the loss of their high-tech newest agent. But they knew… there would be other times… other opportunities… and the _Serenity_ crew were once more weakened by their efforts. Another one had bitten the dust…


End file.
